Tuesday, July 25, 2000
Gattermeyer acting Butler prosecutor
He has been a top assistant to the late John F. Holcomb
By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — Dan Gattermeyer, one of Butler County Prosecutor John F. Holcomb's top assistants, was named acting prosecutor Mondayuntil the Democratic Party chooses a permanent replacement for Mr. Holcomb, who died Saturday.
Mr. Gattermeyer, an assistant prosecutor for 15 years, has handled high-pro file murder cases as well as four highly publicized obscenity cases involving adult video stores.
The county commissioners named Mr. Gattermeyer, 42, of Hamilton, acting prosecutor Monday at their regular meeting and observed a moment of silence in memory of Mr. Holcomb.
Mr. Holcomb, 63, died of
an apparent heart attack at the River Downs racetrack in Anderson Township. He had been prosecutor for 27 years and was running for re-election in November.
Mr. Gattermeyer learned of Mr. Holcomb's death Saturday night while on vacation in Tennessee. A sheriff's deputy knocked on the door of his cabin, which had no telephone, and told him to call home.
He returned to Hamilton on Sunday to be with his grieving colleagues and to console Mr. Holcomb's family.
“It's really difficult,” Mr. Gattermeyer said. “It's been a whirlwind. There are a lot of different emotions.”
He called a meeting of the entire prosecutor's staff on Monday morning to discuss the office's daily operations and to let everyone express their grief and affection for Mr. Holcomb.
“There were a lot of tears,” Mr. Gattermeyer said. “When you work with a man as close as we did with John and go through what we've gone through, it's a family.”
Dan Eichel, Kathleen Romans and Mr. Holcomb's son, John M. Holcomb, also have been mentioned as possible candidates to fill the prosecutor's position for the rest of the year.
The Democratic Party's Central Committee will meet in two to three weeks to decide who will serve the remainder of Mr. Holcomb's term and who will run in the prosecutor's race this year.
In deference to Mr. Holcomb's memory, Mr. Gattermeyer declined Monday to talk about whether he would seek the Democratic Party's appointment.
“Our only concern right now,” he said, “is talking about what we can do to honor John and to help his family get through this.”
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